Jury Awards Parents $1.5M in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Fraternity

Chrissie Cole

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The parents of a Plattsburgh State freshman who died on March 12, 2003 after 12 days of continuous hazing, has been awarded $1.5 in a wrongful death lawsuit against one of the fraternity members.

The New York Supreme Court has ordered him to pay the family $1 million in punitive damages, $400,000 in compensatory damages and $100,000 for wrongful death.

He'd been deprived of sleep for days, repeatedly forced to drink alcohol until he vomited, and forced to consume drinks that had been urinated in. He also had to sit in a sweat box after he was forced to do calisthenics.

The Saratoga County resident died of water intoxication after being forced to drink so much water that his brain swelled and he went into a coma.

The Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity was banned from Plattsburg Campus, at the time of his death, for alcohol related incidents that date as far back as 1998.

13 other fraternity members have settled out of court since 2004.